Chapter 11: The First Task
Rita Skeeter had demanded, both slyly and politely, an interview with most of the teachers and Snape, of course, refused. He had meet her years before and remembered she was sneaky pain that only wanted to bring pain to others and glory to herself.
The same day she arrived so did Mr. Olivander, an expert on wands and a friend of Dumbledore. He was to inspect each of the champion's wands to insure they were in good working order. He sat down next to Snape during lunch and chatted happily with everyone. After to lunch, he asked to see Snape's wand and he handed it to him. Snape was very fond of his wand. He had bought after he had graduated from Hogwarts; during school, he couldn't afford a new one and used his mother's old one. His new one was varnished so heavily it looked black and was made of holly and dragon heartstring. Olivander had told him that the dragon he had received the heartstring was very old, wise, and strong as well as a favorite of both the dragons and humans that knew it. He told him that the dragon was something of hero but never did further any information other than that. After the little looking and a quick spell, Olivander handed back his wand and with a knowing smile told him it was in perfect working order and one of the finest he had ever made. Then he quickly left before Snape could think of any questions to ask him.
Days later, Skeeter's story was published, embarrassing Harry and further isolating him from the school. Harry didn't try to talk to him but flashed him a smile as if to reassure him that he was fine. Snape didn't think he was fine at all. He heard the other student tease him yet Harry never came to see him. Snape continued watching him, waiting for something to happen and Harry to lose control but he never did. He wanted to talk to him, to comfort him but decide against it. He needed Harry to come to him. He knew he had Harry's trust but he needed Harry to understand that he could come to him just to talk, nothing he had to be forced out of him. He wanted him to comprehend that he was there for him no matter what.
On the day of the first task, he watched Harry out of the corner of his eye. He could tell that he was scared because he was pale and shaky. He didn't seem to here what anyone was telling him and his eyes had a shininess that Snape wasn't sure what meant.
Standing to the side of the stands, Snape watched Ludo Bagman usher the champions into a tent. He watched Harry lazily and was impressed by the way he walked. He looked strong and brave like a hero. Snape smiled sorrowfully to himself. He was so handsome, his little celebrity.
"How do you think he'll do?" A scratchy voice muttered to him.
He turned to Filch. "I'm not sure."
The caretaker watched him curiously. "Didn't you help him?"
"I was going to but decided against it."
"Why not?" He asked.
Snape sighed. "Because he didn't ask."
"Huh?"
He rolled his eyes. "Harry didn't ask, if he did I would have helped him. He needs to understand I will help him, all he has to do is ask."
Filch snorted. "A fucked up lesson."
"Still, it's something he needs to learn." He frowned.
They heard Bagman announce the First Task and they watched Victor Krum blind the dragon and take the egg.
Afterwards Filch asked. "Why aren't you in the stands?"
"The headmaster asked me to watch and make sure none of the champions were too terribly injured. Besides, if I did I would have to sit next the other teachers and hear Hagrid moan the entire time about how much he wants a dragon. Why aren't you?"
The caretaker laughed. "And listened to Hagrid."
Snape smiled. "I'm glad you thought this through."
"Naw, I didn't. Ms. Norris is scared of heights."
They heard Ludo Bagman announce the Beaubaxton champion and the little veela girl marched to the field. They watched her try to charm her dragon to sleep. The dragon snorted and her robes caught on fire. She quietly put out the flames with some water conjured from her wand. Eventually, she got her egg.
Filch muttered. "I thought you were supposed to protect the champions from injury."
"I am." Snape smirked very nastily.
When Cedric Diggory came out, he seemed both nervous and nauseous. He walked meekly towards his dragon and looked up at it, wide eyed. Yet, when it his turn to take his egg, the nervousness was gone. He masterfully turned a large rock into a dog and used the dog to divert the dragon's attention from himself. It didn't work as well as he hoped but in the end, he got his golden egg.
Filch and Snape were both silent while they waited for Harry Potter's turn.
The boy walked out of the tent with a thoughtful face. He watched the crowds with surprised expression then turned to stare down his dragon. Snape frowned; out of all the champions, of course, Harry Potter would get the largest, most dangerous dragon. He wanted to wring someone's neck but he didn't know whom. Dumbledore, for starting the Tournament after all these years, McGonagall, for getting in his way, Bagman, for getting on his nerves with his announcing, even himself, for not helping Harry with his little dragon problem. The list seemed to go on and on.
Snape watched, amazed, as Harry used a summoning charm to call his broom. He watched Harry do some expert flying swishing about the dragon, getting her to move further and further away from her nest. Then all of the sudden, he swooped down and grabbed his egg. He dismounted the broom and stood stunned by all the cheers. He had to be dragged, for it seemed his legs had stopped working, to Madame Pomfrey's tent.
"Damn, it doesn't look like he needed your help after all." Filch said.
"Indeed." Snape muttered. The flying was impressive as well as he summoning from so far away. It was also a very clever answer to getting an egg from a dragon. He was sure that Krum knew about the dragon from the smug look on his face during his turn. Had Harry? He wondered who had told Krum, this was something he needed to know. He had to protect the school and any leak of information could in the end lead to the harm of Hogwarts.
"Flickwick must have taught summoning charms to the fourth years." Filch mused.
He asked. "How do you know what this?"
The caretaker smirked. "Flickwick or the summoning charm? He uses the same syllabus every year. I've been trying to learn to do that charm for years."
Snape inquired. "Why would you do that? You are a squib, you don't have any magic."
"Don't be daft, I know I'm a squib." Filch told him. "Don't stop me from trying though."
He said. "Then why bother."
"After I didn't get my Hogwarts letter, I stopped trying to do magic I was so angry. Even angrier than my Pa. I didn't try again until I came here and started working. Came across Flickwick studying charms in the staff lounge. I ask him why was he bother reading about charms, he must know about everything being a charms master and he tells me that one can't learn enough about anything. He says sometimes he finds something he can't do and after years of trying he can. He tells me he rereads everything he has on charms to keep 'em fresh in his mind so he can teach 'em better. I thought about it and decided to try to do magic again, who knows maybe I'll learn to do it."
Snape blinked; he couldn't think of what to say to that. Who knew Flickwick could be inspirational? Who know Filch could be so insightful? Snape decided he had underestimated them both and would seek them out if he every needed some advice. Yet, deep down inside, he knew he would never talk to Flickwick but he knew he could with Filch.
Filch snickered at his astonished expression. "Do you think he'll score high?"
"Of course, he's Harry Potter. Plus, it was brilliant. The only one who could score him low will be Karkaroff because he wants his school to win and he has no problems with cheating."
He asked. "Do you think he's hurt bad?"
"No, he'll be fine. Poppy will fix him in a jiffy." Snape concurred.
"Good." Filch smiled. "He's a nice boy. I have to clean up this mess. Goodbye, Professor."
"Goodbye, Filch." Snape watched him walk away then when he was in the distance he turned and started walking himself. He wanted to make sure Harry was okay and headed towards the medical tent. Then when he was about to enter, something knocked him to the ground. He frowned and got up. Then to his surprise, he saw Harry running towards the castle, crying and mumbling.
Snape dashed into the tent and there stood a mystified Weasley and Granger. He snarled. "Why did Harry Potter run out of here?"
"I have no idea." Granger said bewildered then appeared to have realized who she was talking to and frowned, angry at revealing anything to the potion master about Harry.
He grumbled. "Why was he crying?"
They exchanged looks and turned back to him, glowering.
"I don't have time for this shit. Tell me or I'll make you wish you were never born." He pulled out his wand.
Weasley stepped forward, prepared to block Granger any hex that Snape wished to produce. "We won't tell you anything. We won't let you hurt Harry."
"Idiots." He rolled his eyes. "100 points from Gryffindor. I'm not trying to hurt him. He is hysterical and I need to know what you silly children did."
Granger looked hard but thoughtful but Weasley was still enraged. "Stay away from him."
Snape narrowed his eyes. He knew he wasn't getting anywhere with them but he knew he needed to now what had happened before he found Harry. "Of all the. Fine. Legilimens!"
He knew he didn't have much time to go through Weasley's memories before Granger disarmed him. He just needed the impression so he could figure out the current events. It would be easy because the boy was so furious, so fuming and any good master of Occlumency knew the more emotional, the easier to read. He felt his guilt, his worry. He pushed in further, harder. There was jealousy of Harry, his fame and his family fortune, and his brothers, so much better than him, head boys and quidditch captain. Always in the shadows, sidekick. Yet, the most was worry that he wouldn't be forgiven for being mad and jealous. He had to apologize, no he needed to apologize. Maybe Harry would forgive him.
"Expelliarmus!" Granger shouted and Snape's wand went flying across the tent but he didn't care for he knew what he needed to know.
Snape rubbed his wrist lazily watching as Granger, eyes and wand still on him, helped Weasley up. He snapped at them. "So you came here to apologize and it didn't go well."
"Yeah, he's upset. Mumbled something." He answered in a daze but was quieted when Granger shook him a bit. Her eyes narrowing on the potion master.
Snape had a feeling he knew what Harry had mumbled. Something very similar to that he mumbled to him in the dark of his bedroom. He thought quickly about this and came with the only reason he could think that could cause such a reaction from him. He thought he was a freak, in fact a dirty freak, and that he didn't think he deserved friendship much less Ron's friendship. Ron had pushed him aside in a time when he needed him, when he was weak from their talks as well as when the school had abandoned him, and Snape gathered from Harry's perceptive that he had feared that he had noticed the real Harry, the dirty freak. Yet, he had apologized, throwing Harry off. For why would such a wonderful person want to be his friend? So Harry went off, trying to get Weasley away from him. He didn't want to hurt him, dirty him, for being friends with a dirty freak.
Yet, it was a two-sided coin. Harry knew he needed companionship. Needed friends. He knew he needed help. That is why he let himself be bullied into revealing his secrets by the potion master. That's why he pretended to be a golden boy and everyone's brave little hero. He had emotions, he loved his friends. That was why when he was trying to push them away, he broke down.
The worst thing was, Snape knew, that was not like before when he could be held and comforted. This time was destructive, insane and he would do something...harsh. Snape had felt this coming and still hoped that he was wrong.
"Fuck." Snape snarled. "Weasley get the headmaster. Granger get McGonagall. Tell them we need to find Harry immediately."
"Professor." Granger said quietly.
He stalked towards the exit and got his wand. "We don't have time for your inane questions, Granger. Do what I said."
After he left the tent, he could feel their eyes on him, still confused on what was going on. Snape didn't care and ran as fast as he could to the castle. He burst open the front doors and scared silly a few third years. He sprinted down the stairs and into the dungeons. He scurried to his own rooms, hoping this is where Harry would end up. He ripped open the door and into the sitting room. He frantically went from room to room, search high and low for him. He checked closets and under furniture in case he was hiding. He wasn't there.
He ran to his office and when he opened the door, he saw a pool of blood. Steam was rising of the red puddle because of the cold of the dungeons. Snape braced himself and scurried in. He ripped at his robes and tore off chunks. He touched Harry and felt a pulse. He sighed, at least he was alive. He slowly wrapped the homemade bandages around his wrists that Harry had slice deeply from elbow to hand. He lifted him slowly.
Snape carried him and made his way to the infirmary. He heard gasps from people as he passed. He thought to himself that he should have cast an invisibility charm. He saw Fawkes appear and fly around his head then disappear again.
"Severus." He heard a voice call.
He didn't stop to answer. He just shouted behind him. "Follow me, Minerva."
When they arrived in the hospital wing, he gently placed Harry on a bed. He heard almost distantly Professor McGonagall call Madame Pomfrey. He caressed Harry's check and sat on the bed nest to him. Cursing himself, for not following Harry when he left the tent. A few minutes later, Harry was fixed and deep wounds were gone with a flick of the wrist. He had been given a blood-restoring potion and would be good as new in few hours.
Snape waited patiently for the headmaster to show up. He knew he going to, after all, this was a life and death situation. Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall were waiting too. When ever they asked what had happened he shushed them and said wait for Dumbledore. He didn't feel like explaining several times. He thought they would argue but were strangely subdue.
All he could do was stare at Harry and hope he could get better. He hoped he could fix him.
The headmaster walked in to the hospital wing with sad, sickly look on his face. He looked about 140 years old, which was more his age, and the twinkle was missing in his eyes. He scanned the room and then quietly walked to Harry's bed. Looking very sad indeed, he gently held his hand. He said, mournfully. "Severus, what has happened?"
Snape feeling the same way, opened his mouth to speak but then he noticed something. Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody had followed him in and was eyeing him quite darkly. His fingers were twitchy as if aching to grab his wand and show Snape a thing or two about hexes. He returned the glare and then looked at the headmaster. "Albus, I will tell you everything. All of it but not with him in the room."
"What!" Moody snarled.
He smirked at him. The fear that had lasted him almost thirteen years had faded in a breathe. He knew right then and there he would never be scared of the old auror ever again. He decided it wasn't time to have a little fun with him but he still needed to put in his place. And his place was not here right now. Harry had enough people to gawk at him. He told him. "You are not his head of house. Nor his healer. Nor the headmaster. You have no reason to be in this room right now."
Moody frowned. "And your reason for being here?"
Snape said silkily. "I'm the one with the answers."
He whipped out his wand but before he could do anything, Dumbledore stood between them. "Both of you calm down. Now, is not the time for this. Severus, he is only here to help."
"He isn't involved with this." He sneered. "He is merely the Defense against the Dark Arts professor and this doesn't involve the dark arts. He is not a head of house, healer, headmaster, or even deputy headmaster. According to the rules of this school, he should not be here in this room right now."
The headmaster looked him over, thoughtfully. "These are the rules of this school involving a personal matter of a student. Are these personal matters?"
He said very softly. "This has nothing to do with the dark lord. This isn't about him, it is about Harry."
Dumbledore once again looked thoughtful. Both Moody and McGonagall both opened their mouths to say something but Dumbledore shushed them. He nodded. "Very well, Alastor will you please leave?"
"Dumbledore!" Moody roared.
"No, these are the school rules and I sure Severus has a good reason to be so strict at this time." He said sadly.
Moody looked around the room one last time and left in hurry, completely furious. Snape decided it wasn't the best time to smirk but saved it away in memory as a triumph. He was about to speak when the doors opened again and Granger and Weasley burst in, both out of breathe. They were holding a very old piece of paper.
Dumbledore told them. "Harry has been found and he will be alright. Go back to common room. Professor McGonagall will come by later to talk to you."
They protested but eventually were talked into leaving. Snape couldn't hold back the smirk as they were marched out, staring daggers at him.
The headmaster sighed. "They are gone. Severus, please tell us what has happened?"
Snape nodded and slowly sat down next to Harry. He gently caressed his face and looked back at his audience. Madame Pomfrey seemed to sniffing, which struck him as odd for she had dealt with more dangerous and bloodier things. Maybe this was because she was never around an attempted suicide. Professor McGonagall was pale as she perched on chair nearby. Dumbledore was sitting on the bed next to him, frowning.
Snape wasn't sure where to start. Harry's past or when he found him in the bathroom. Should he even say everything? He had promised Harry not to tell unless he was in danger and he was currently in danger from himself. He took some calming breaths and stood up quickly, pointing his wand at the boy, feeling everyone around him flinch. "Finite incatatum galmoura."
Harry's beautiful glamours, the carbon copies of James Potter, were gone and replaced by the ugly child that he really was. He heard the gasps around him. He frowned looking at him, he was very thin still. He hadn't been eating proper again, must have been nerves from the Tournament and Ron Weasley.
"Who is that?" McGonagall blanched.
He sighed. "That is Harry Potter. The real Harry Potter."
Poppy gasped again. "It can't be."
"I don't understand." Professor McGonagall moaned.
Dumbledore frowned heavily. "Severus, explain."
"This is Harry Potter. He wears glamours to hide his true appearance. About a month into term, I trick him and removed them. He is underweight, too small for his age, and at one time completely covered in scars."
"I don't see any scars." Poppy mumbled.
"I removed them using a scar soaking potion, took about a week and half to remove them all. As you can tell from the bald patches on his head, the scaring was very severe."
Snape sighed looking at him then ruffled his hair, it was much healthier than before. He pulled back the blankets and started removing the pajamas on the boy.
McGonagall stopped him. "What are you doing?"
"Do you still think I'm leading your boy wonder astray?" He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm removing his clothes to show you something."
Once the top was off, he heard Dumbledore breathing heavily and Poppy was fussing. His chest was still the same, just as thin and still missing the left nipple and it was obvious in this light that his arms were twisting by the healed broken arms. Poppy shoved him out of the way and began doing tests on him.
While she worked, he said. "Both of his arms need to be rebroke and healed I think as well as his hands and jaw. I think he has muscle damage in his right eye. His teeth are broken, missing, and in terrible shape. There is more but you get the drift."
Dumbledore spoke low. "What happened to him?"
Snape looked at him and said. "His family hates him."